US election meddling in Turkey: Ankara

The US is meddling in Türkiye's upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections, Ankara's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu has claimed. He weighed in on the decision by presidential candidate Muharrem Ince to drop out of the race due to a "slander campaign" involving the release of an alleged sex tape. Soylu also claimed that Ince was "attacked in this election from outside." Turkey's presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled for May 14. The race for the presidency is expected to be a battle between Erdogan and his main rival Kilicdaroglu, with a run-off if neither of them garners more than 50% of the vote. Biden described Erdogan as an "autocrat" and Washington should support opposition leadership.